


The Forest

by LadyGinoza



Category: Psycho-Pass
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:38:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11101854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyGinoza/pseuds/LadyGinoza
Summary: Everyone comes here looking for a way out and where fear grows...





	The Forest

**Chapter 1**

**Ginoza**

“Nobuchika! Are you out of your mind!? That forest is evil; it makes people see things that aren’t there.” Masaoka tells me but it felt more like an attempt to lecture instead of simply advising someone against doing something.

To be honest he shouldn't bother acting like a father now, he's never been much of a father to begin with. His attempts to being a father are just a joke to me at this point.

There are no such things as an evil forest…

“Right…” I mumble as I put my things away, clearing out my desk in order to make it clean and neat for my return on Monday.

“Nobuchika, I’m begging you. As your father I’m begging you not to go there.” He begs, his hands on my shoulder as if he thinks his grasp will be enough to keep me here. He should know better by now that’s not going to work. I’m done listening to his superstitious stories and I’m done with his lame attempts to reconnect with me. He’s nothing more than a hunting dog now, nothing more.

“You were never a father to begin with.” I tell before shoving his organic hand away from me as I walk away from the man that should have been a father but wasn’t. He failed being a father to me and he failed being a husband to mom so he can go to hell…

The sound of small chatter drags me out of a short slumber I had fallen into while traveling by bus. It makes no sense as to why I would dream about Masaoka trying to dissuade me from going to Mount Fuji. Not that it matters, I’m still going. I just have to go; I should have done this a long time ago.

I look out the window and I can see Mount Fuji getting closer and as we get closer I can sense the atmosphere on the bus change. The people are starting to be quieter as the Aokigahara forest is becoming more visible.

The bus starts coming to a halt and I grab my backpack and swing it over my shoulders as I move towards the exit of the bus. Securing the bag on my back as I step down the steps and I feel sets of eyes looking at me as I get out of the bus. I wonder what they must be thinking right now. Do they think I intend on going into the forest to end my life? Probably but that’s not why I’m here. Not like any of them would understand if I told them the reason as to why I must enter this forest. I just need to do this. I just have to.

No matter what the reputation is about this forest, the years have not changed it. People started committing suicide as early as the 1970’s. Although, at the beginning, the numbers were low. It started to rise from the rising years and to this day the numbers have not dropped. They say the suicide rates have kept on growing and apparently when the Sibyl system was introduced a huge pike arose. They say that over three hundred bodies had been found after the first year the Sibyl system was introduced.

I must say, as I walk closer to the forest and stop before the entrance. I can’t help but find the forest somehow beautiful. It’s much different from what you see every day. The trees and the sounds are beyond different and the atmosphere is hard to explain. It’s weird to explain as to what I’m feeling right now. It feels like there’s something looking right at me, as if watching, waiting for me to cross that line and a part of me now doesn’t want to go.

I have to shake off this feeling. I’m letting everyone’s words affect me. Masaoka was against it, he wanted me nowhere near this forest and that only resulted in the others voicing out their own opinions. Least to say, none thought I should come here and they all sided with Masaoka over the matter. Even Tsunemori sided with him but she doesn’t understand. None of them understand as to why I have to come here. I have to do this. It’s the only way I’ll be able to move on.

I step over the low line that advised anyone contemplating suicide to turn back and contact a suicide hotline. Not like someone who is suicidal would ever do that. They want to die, they surely won’t alert anyone that might actually stop them from doing it. If they wanted to stop suicides in this forest, they should cut down the trees. That way, no one would ever be tempted to take their own lives here.

As I enter the forest, it doesn’t take long for the atmosphere to change. I can no longer hear the sound of the wind nor can I feel it anymore. It feels like I just entered another world after taking only a few steps into the trail. And although this forest is strange, it has quite a beauty to it. It’s calm and quiet; it’s no wonder why so many choose this place to end their own lives. It’s the calmness that draws people to do it. For a slight moment, the quietness is soothing and all their problems seem to fade away and they are finally at peace. Many do not want to leave this peacefulness and they chose to die instead of returning to a life of problems. By all means, it makes sense.

There’s an eyrie vibe going through me as I continue walking down the path. It’s actually a hard thing to describe as to how I’m currently feeling. I feel like my inside is shaking and yet I’m not cold. I don’t hear any animals and yet I could have sworn a few times that I could hear muffled screams of a little girl. It’s so strange how this forest is…

I read last night that this forest can play games on you. Not because it’s haunted but because you start imagining things that aren’t real. Anything bad that you hear or see isn’t real. It’s all in your head; anything bad that you see is all in your head. Nothing more.

A blue ribbon catches my eyes. It’s a thin ribbon that’s been attached onto a tree leading away from the trail. They say people who contemplate suicide will often tie ribbons in order to allow themselves to find their way back in case they change their mind. Knowing that, I should carry on and walk away and yet I find myself following this blue ribbon instead.

Why am I following this ribbon? It’s probably not a good idea. I might come across something that could spike my crime coefficient but I’m used to seeing dead bodies. It’s not like this will be any different. A dead body is a dead body but I guess it’s the way it got there that makes me uneasy.

On the job, a dead body is there because someone killed them. They didn’t choose to die, someone made my decision for them but for the people here, they chose to die. They must have felt like this was as good as it would get. It’s sad when you stop and think about it.

I continue going down my new path further away from the trail. The ribbon smoothly gliding between my fingers when the colour of red catches my eyes against the lush green. From a distance it looks like a small rounded tent but I don’t hear anything other than the sounds of my footsteps.

I carefully navigate through the roots as I try to be careful not to slip and fall as I make my way towards the small camp site. I can see that whoever was here had made a fire but it burned out a while ago and the junk that surrounds me are exactly that. Just junk of whoever was here. I can see that they were here for quite some time and hopefully they decided not to end their lives.

The tent seems to be somewhat new so whoever came here can’t have been too long ago. It is however starting to show signs of wear and tear so I’m assuming it’s been here for two or three years already.

I linger around the campsite a bit more. It’s a weird feeling knowing that someone was here. Just knowing that they wanted to die leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I slowly back away as I take in the view when I suddenly bump into something causing me to quickly turn around and I feel like my gut just did a twist and dropped down to my knees. The thing I just bumped into isn't a tree like I had thought but none other than a body hanging from a tree in a decomposed state, his jaw having fallen off his head.

The sight of the body is a frightening sight but there’s no smell. There isn’t a scent to alert of a decomposing body and yet this body is in bad shape so it should smell. The man's eyes are opened and it feels like they are looking right at me and with that I bolt into a run in the opposite direction.

I have to get away from this spot; it feels like there’s something that will get me if I don’t run away. And as I run in all haste, all I can hear is the sound of my rapid steps and then I feel my feet slip and the next thing I know I’m falling face first onto the ground.

I don’t move for a bit as I lie face down onto the damp ground when a throbbing sensation in my left hand is what snaps me out of my daze as I slowly rise up to my knees. I look into my left hand only to find a few short but deep gashes in my palm.

Damn… I’m going to need stitches to have these gashes closed…

Although, they seem deep the cuts aren’t spurring out much blood so I should be fine for now. I drop my backpack onto the ground and take a small first aid kit from it and start treating my gashes. I quickly poor the content of the small alcohol bottle onto the gashes which makes the throbbing in my palm even worst. I wait a few second before applying an antibiotic cream. The contact with the cream stings a little as I’m applying it in a thick layer before putting a compressed onto the gashes and then securing it with a wrap.

Once I’ve finished treating my wound in order to try and prevent any infection. I put away the first aid kit back into my back pack and readjust the bag on my back. I slowly rise up to my feet and look around me but all I see are trees. I can’t see from where I came from and since I didn’t run in a straight line there’s really no way for me to back track.

I start moving as I hold my injured wrist as I carefully maneuver the forest. The ground makes it hard not to trip and a few times the ground gave away but luckily the roots were strong to support my weight.

“This way Nobuchika.” An eyrie voice says from the east.

Come on Nobuchika, you’re letting your head get to you. You saw a decomposed body and because you panicked you ended up getting injured and lost in this vast forest. Just stay calm and you’ll find your way out of this forest and back to civilization. Just remain calm and everything will be alright. You have enough time to find a way out before the sun sets.

I continue walking and somehow the atmosphere is changing. There are no signs of wildlife, no animals can be heard or any birds chirping. I can’t hear the wind blowing even though there should be. After all, it was pretty windy before I entered this forest and yet there is nothing.

On a regular basis I enjoy the silence. It brings me calmness after a long day at work and it’s quite soothing but right now the silence is maddening. It’s not a normal silence, there’s just something creepy about it.

“Turn around Nobuchika.” The eyrie voice says again from the east.

“You're not real.” I say as I continue walking in a straight line.

“Turn around Nobuchika.” I hear the eyrie voice say again from the east but this time it felt much closer like it’s coming towards me.

“You’re not real!” I repeat as I continue walking and suddenly I could have sworn I saw something move from the corner of my eye. It looked like a shadow that just passed by real quick.

“Turn around Nobuchika.” The eyrie voice says again as I feel my heart skip a beat. This time the voice was not distant or towards the east. This time the voice was much closer and it came from behind as I hear cracking of branches behind me.

“You’re not real!” I say louder but I can't stop my lips from quivering as I turn around only to find a severely decomposed body standing right in front of me.

I turn around and bolt into another run in a frenzy to escape this fiend that has found me as I keep repeating to myself that it’s not real. That thing is not real; it’s all in my head. It’s not real and yet it felt so real. I heard it’s footsteps on the ground; it was heavy and not human. It can’t be real but it felt so real.

It’s getting darker by the minute; the sun must be starting to set. I have to get out of here; I can’t stay with these creatures. Imaginary or real, I have to escape. I have to go back home. I have to go, Dime is waiting for me.

“Turn around Nobuchika.” The eyrie voice says again from behind but it sounds much more distant than before.

I don’t stop running, I don’t look back in case something is there when suddenly I stop. Right in front of me are other corpse like beings shrieking words and sounds that can’t possibly be human. I turn to my left and bolt into a run again as I hear those muffled shrieking from behind as I continue to run in all haste when suddenly I feel the ground give away from under my feet and I come crashing down hard onto the ground below and everything goes black.


End file.
